The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed. My body had made an almost complete recovery, though a faint ache lingered in my mana circuits and right leg's muscles.

The aftereffects of time traveling hadn’t fully worn off yet, which I supposed was normal. Then again, this was my first attempt at such a huge leap through time, so I couldn't be sure.

Based on the pain I’d felt yesterday, I'd guessed it would take at least three days to reach this level of recovery.

I really underestimated my resilience, huh.

"Good morning, Dad. Did you sleep well?"

I flinched at the sudden voice, my heart pounding as I instinctively prepared to send my enemy straight to the afterlife with my signature spell.

I stopped myself at the very last second upon recognizing the speaker.

"Sherry?” I asked incredulous. “What are you doing here? And why isn’t my ward working?"

She smiled sweetly, as if sneaking past a Archmage was the most natural thing in the world. “What do you think? I am here to take care of you, of course.”

"And my ward?" I asked suspiciously.

Her smile turned mischievous. "Oh, that? I added my magical signature to its code yesterday so I could visit you incognito."

"You did what?"

“Well, since you are coming back to the academy and trying to change for the better, I figured we could start with a bit of family time.” She said, completely unapologetic.

I twitched.

Should I praise her audacity or be exasperated by her tactlessness?

This was Sherry for you, always defying expectations and disregarding common sense. But one thing was certain, she had improved by leaps and bounds. Her current magical prowess was exceptional. She was undoubtedly one of the best among her peers.

Well I will let it go for now. Nothing will change her anyway, she is too much like her mother.

“Aren’t you busy, though?” I asked skeptically.

“Well yes,” she admitted with a shrug, “I am working my butt off to prepare for the upcoming tournament. But you looked really bad yesterday, so I delegated my duties to my second to make sure you’d be okay.”

“Was it really that bad?” I asked slightly embarrassed.

“It wasn’t just bad, Dad,” she said, crossing her arms and glaring at me sternly, “you looked like you were about to kick the bucket.”

“Oops.” I scratched my head awkwardly. “Well, I am alright now.”

“I can see that.” She hesitated briefly before adding, “actually, I have something to confess – I didn’t leave yesterday.”

“You what?” I exclaimed flabbergasted by her claim, my heart leaping in my chest.

This was worrisome, I didn't notice anything. Was it a side effect of my time travel?

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

She sighted. “So, you didn’t notice huh. You must have been really out of it.”

“If you stayed at my place, where did you sleep?"

“Well, I didn’t really sleep,” she admitted nonchalantly. “I had a lot of work to do, so I used a communication artifact to handle the most urgent matters.”

“You are an absolute workaholic.” I said, shaking my head helplessly. “I wonder who you take after.”

She smirked. “You. Obviously.”

“Alright, alright. I lost.” I answered, in mock surrender. “Do you want to do something together before going back to the academy?”

“Why not? I know a good bakery in town, do you want to come?”

“Definitely.”

We teleported to the bakery. It was a cozy little shop with warm wooden interiors. As soon as we entered, the tempting aroma of freshly baked bread and strong coffee with whipped cream filed our nose. Sherry exchanged a few words with the owner, and soon a server guided us to a VIP salon. There, we enjoyed some wonderful father-daughter time, speaking about all sort of things while savoring a delicious latte and eating our favorite pudding, strawberry cake for Sherry, and chocolate cake for me.

Several hours later, we reluctantly left, going straight to the academy’s dean office.

The sight who welcomed me was the same as in the past. Shelves packed with magical books, Sherry's addition on my old ebony desk: a magical clock, fresh roses, a picture of our family, as well as the familiar scent of parchment and incense hanging in the air.

Everything was intact. It was all exactly as it had been before the attack.

The images of both timelines overlapped in my mind. I shouldn’t have come back so soon. I should have waited, taken more time to prepare. The horrifying visions resurfaced, the mangled corpses, the blood-soaked floor, the severed limbs, and the choking smoke rising over the rubbles.

“Dad. Are you okay?”

Sherry’s voice pulled me out of my memories, her hand gently gripping my arm.

Did I space-out?

“I’m fine.”

She didn’t look convinced, her brows knitting together in that way she always did when she thought I was hiding something.

“Memories?” she asked gently.

I nodded, unable to find the words. The vision of destruction and all those death were burned into my soul, leaving me with an indelible scar.

Sherry gazed at the family photo on the desk with nostalgia. “Mom loved this office. She used to call it her second home, you know.”

She couldn’t have known my thoughts were miles away from Sofia’s death, stuck on the academy's slaughter.

I nodded, feeling a pang of guilt from being unable to tell her the truth. “She did. And she often joked that if it weren’t for her duties as a magic tower master, she would’ve become a full-time teacher here to spend more time with us.”

A small smile appeared on her face. “I remember how she’d skip those boring council meetings to come here. She used that metamorphosis artifact of hers to impersonate teachers and it always ended in chaos. I think half the staff threatened to resign at least once because of her pranks. ”

I chuckled. “She always had a mischievous streak, didn’t she? Actually, you take after her Sherry."

“Hey. It’s not my fault!” she shot back in mock-indignation, “mom always took me on her outings. Can you believe it? An adult bringing her twelve years old daughter to do bad things together.”

I couldn't help but laugh mirthfully at her scandalized expression. "Oh, I believe it, I watched your little adventures in secret. She was the most skilled prankster, and you were her partner in crime from day one.”

Sherry rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed her amusement. "It was the good old days.”

"That for sure." I replied with nostalgia.

This small interlude brought back my most cherished memories and most horrible regrets. I clenched my hands tightly, trying to fight the tears threatening to roll down my cheeks. The thought of leaping trough time in order to save my wife resurfaced. It had plagued my mind for years, to the point of obsession.

But I knew it wouldn't work, all my efforts over the past twenty years had been vain. I had spent decades trying to find a cure for her illness with the most brilliants researchers in the world to no avail.

I could probably time travel again, but it wouldn't bring her back. I though bitterly, then I looked at my daughter. At least I managed to save Sherry.

The void Sofia left behind would never disappear, but I had a goal now. I would protect my daughter and the academy, and when everything was over, enjoy the remaining time I had with the people who counted for me.

But I needed to advance carefully, hiding my real intentions from allies and enemies alike.

According to Carl, the academy was bustling with spies. I couldn't just send them on their way and alert the Obsidian Order. I had to play it wisely.

The only thing that troubled me was the lack of information concerning their main headquarters. I knew everything about the one in this country, but from the reports I had read and my discussions with Arthur, I knew the Obsidian Order had branches all around the world.